With a gritty, overtime win in sub-zero wind chills in Chicago, the Los Angeles Rams advanced to the NFC Championship Game on Sunday night.
The result of that game was felt out in Northeast Ohio, on a day the Cleveland Browns head coach search gained some clarity.
The Browns will begin a wave of in-person interviews on Monday, starting with their own defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Cleveland is also expected to meet with Mike McDaniel, Todd Monken, Jesse Minter, and Grant Udinski this week as what has been a wide-open search forges on.
In fact, Cleveland’s final decision could extend past the AFC and NFC championship games. According to beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot, the team has also scheduled a second interview with Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase; but after their 20-17 playoff win over the Bears on Sunday, the 35-year-old now won’t be able to meet in person until the week of Jan. 25.
The Cleveland Browns’ head coach search may be headed for extra time
The Browns got to Scheelhaase a tad late, which is common for coaches on active playoff teams. He interviewed with them virtually on Friday, and we’re about to learn how serious Cleveland is about a Sean McVay disciple who’s yet to be an offensive coordinator or play caller at the NFL level.
It’s entirely possible that the Browns already have their guy, as Schwartz and Udinski seem to be the unofficial frontrunners right now. Cleveland is currently prohibited from announcing a hire, however, as it’s yet to fulfill its Rooney Rule requirement of meeting with at least two minority candidates in person.
Both Scheelhaase and Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Arden Durde would satisfy the Rooney Rule, but neither can interview in person until after the NFC Championship Game. The only other qualifying candidate on the Browns’ current list is McDaniel, whose father is Black.
While Cleveland could speed up the process by extending their search and adding new candidates as soon as Monday, that feels extremely unlikely at this point. The most likely course is to let things play out, meet with Scheelhaase as planned when appropriate, and hopefully — for Browns fans’ sake at least — make a final decision prior to Super Bowl LX.
No matter how this week shakes out, the Rams might’ve just knocked Scheelhaase out of the running. If he does get his in-person interview, he’d likely be the last of Cleveland’s six known finalists to do so, which puts him at a disadvantage for a job he might still be a year or two away from being in serious contention for.
Offensive coordinator jobs should definitely be on the table for Scheelhaase, though, and Cleveland will reportedly have an opening with Tommy Rees expected to land in Atlanta on Kevin Stefanski’s staff.
With seven other teams still competing for the top remaining head coach candidates, this feels like a time for urgency. That’s clearly not the Browns’ approach, as this thing now feels poised for extra time with a resolution still more than a week away.